Table of Contents Quarterly Progress Report TABLE of CONTENTS

Table Of Contents Quarterly Progress Report TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACRONYMS 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5

1. INTRODUCTION 7

2. BACKGROUND 8 2.1 WHERE WE WORK 10 2.1 INNOVATION NODES 11

3. HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS QUARTER 12 3.1 TIMELINE 14

4. ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRESS 18

5. PROGRAM AND TECHNICAL PROGRESS 19 5.1 ZOOMING OUT: HIGH LEVEL ACHIEVEMENTS 20 5.2 ZOOMING IN: MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS AS PER WORK PLAN PROGRAM THEMES 21 5.3 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT 38

8. UPCOMING ACTIVITIES 45

FIGURES Figure 1: Geographical distribution of Khetha activities within the GLTFCA landscape 9 Figure 2: Khetha program nodes 11 Figure 3: Faranani Lalumbe (right) and a new Environmental Monitors at the Youth Champions Induction. 23 Figure 4: The Khetha restorative justice project featured in the first issue of the International Journal of Restorative Justice. 25 Figure 5: Cattle tracks close to the broken fence at the Mthethomusha Nature Reserve 27 Figure 6: Bicycle used for transport for fench maintenance team 28 Figure 7: The state veterinarian inspects the broken fence 29 Figure 8: Environmental Monitors and Fence Monitors checking a fench 30 Figure 9: An elephant bull next to the fence at the Mthethomusha Nature Reserve. 32

Annex 1 46

Acronyms Quarterly Progress Report ACRONYMS

ANAC National Administration of Conservation Areas (Mozambique) APICOC Anti-Poaching Coordination and Operations Centre APNR Associated Private Nature Reserves CWC Combating Wildlife Crime CNRMC Community Natural Resource Management Commitee CLC Community Liaison Coordinator CLO Community Liaison Officer DCA Damage Causing Animals DENC Department of Environment and Nature Conservation DFFE Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (South Africa) DNRMC District Natural Resource Management Committee EM Environmental Monitor ESSF Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework EWT Endangered Wildlife Trust FMD Foot-and-Mouth Disease GKEPF Greater Kruger Environment Protection Foundation GKSDP Greater Kruger Strategic Development Program GLTFCA Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area GLTP Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park HWC Human-Wildlife Conflict IWT Illegal Wildlife Trade K2C Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region KNP Kruger National Park LACE Law, Authority, Compliance and Enforcement LEAP Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching Strategy LEDET Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism LNP Limpopo National Park MELCOM Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Communications NBIF National Biodiversity Investigators Forum NDA National Development Agency (South Africa) POPI Protection of Personal Information Project FIRE Framework of Interventions for Effective Rhino Protection Evaluation SADC Southern Africa Development Community SANBI South African National Biodiversity Institute SANParks South African National Parks SAPS South African Police Service SAWC Southern Africa Wildlife College SPARCC Special Platform for Reflection, Action, and Collaboration in Combating Wildlife Crime SSW Sabi Sand Wildtuin

3 Acronyms Quarterly Progress Report

TWIX Trade in Wildlife Information Exchange USAID United States Agency for International Development VBR Vhembe Biosphere Reserve WWF World Wide Fund for Nature

4 Executive summary Quarterly Progress Report Executive summary

At the end of 2020, we reflected on how 2021 would likely prove challenging due to the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but more importantly, we knew that “the show must go on.” Indeed, the show goes on! And the first quarter of 2021 was a productive and rewarding one.

The positive outcome of our continuous, transparent and supportive engagements with our state partners has never been as evident as during this quarter. The South African National Parks (SANParks), a critical partner in South Africa, approached us and requested our assistance in the development of their new five-year Rhino Management Strategy. We started the process this quarter through facilitating a workshop for the different departments within SANParks mandated to manage Kruger National Park’s (KNP) rhinos. This request confirms how SANParks values and trusts Khetha's support, and we are pleased to support the development of a new, ground-breaking strategy.

We are also pleased to report that our continuous engagement with the Mozambique Attorney General and the sensitization of the judiciary for the need for asset forfeiture legislation in Mozambique paid off. During this quarter, the Mozambique parliament approved the new asset forfeiture legislation. Investigators and prosecutors can now use this tool to target wildlife trafficking kingpins and those higher up in the criminal networks. We are now in discussion with the Attorney General on how we can further provide support in the dissemination of and training for prosecutors and judges in the new legislation.

In partnership with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), we are making great progress in testing restorative justice approaches to wildlife crime in our landscape. Restorative justice has never before been applied to environmental crime in southern Africa. This quarter, we developed a first draft of guidelines for applying restorative justice to wildlife crimes and presented this to the Restorative Steering Commitee. This innovative project featured in the first issue of the International Journal of Restorative Justice, and we are in the process of drafting a chapter on the application of restorative justice to wildlife crime for the Palgrave Handbook of Environmental Restorative Justice. The handbook is a first of its kind academic resource on restorative justice within the environmental context.

In our efforts to improve transboundary collaboration, we completed a comprehensive analysis of elephant management in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA) as part of our support to develop a GLTFCA elephant management framework. Considering various multi-lateral, national, regional and protected area-specific elephant management strategies, plans, policies and institutional agreements in Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, the inclusive framework aims to improve collaboration and coordination across the three countries for the effective elephant management and conservation.

"In Mozambique, our work enabled local communities to reap financial rewards from wildlife." In December 2020, we finalized the legalisation of three Community Natural Resource Management Committees (CNRMCs). In March, the first payment of about 3

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million meticas ($53 000) from a 20%-benefit scheme from wildlife management was paid to the committees. In the next quarter, we are providing further support to the CNRMCs to plan the use of the funds.

On the ground in South Africa, our Community Liaison Officers (CLO) and Community Liaison Coordinator (CLC) continue their work to revive and support community forums, arranging meetings between stakeholders, making introductions, facilitating discussions, formally documenting meetings and processing reports of human-wildlife conflict (HWC) and compensation claims. Community forums is where most engagement between communities, NGOs, government agencies and private sector takes place. Thus, our work to support the functionality of such forums is critically important to improve the participation of communities in socioeconomic and conservation initiatives and wildlife management strategies and activities that affect them.

WWF Mozambique included the GLTFCA as a priority landscape in the WWF Mozambique Country Strategy. This will attract more investments in the landscape for biodiversity conservation and livelihood development and contribute to the sustainability and continuation of Khetha initiatives beyond the life of the program.

Finally, on the administrative front, the Khetha program Audit for the financial year ended June 30th, 2020, was successfully performed and completed. The Final Audit report was submitted to USAID in March, 2021. We also established a field office at the Pafuri Gate, KNP, where our CLO seconded to SANParks for the Makuya and Gidjana-Bevhula Khetha nodes, is based.

As COVID-19 travel restrictions are increasingly relaxed, we are thankful that many field-based activities are being resumed and we work closely with our partners so that preventative protocols are observed. We look forward to a range of community-level engagements in the next quarter, such as those in support of the Greater Kruger Strategic Development Program (GKSDP), and our own initiative to host research symposiums for communities who participated in Khetha-related research projects.

6 Introduction Quarterly Progress Report 1. INTRODUCTION

"Khetha" is a word associated with the Nguni languages of southern African spoken by Zulu and Shangaan people in eastern and north-eastern South Africa and western Mozambique. The word "Khetha", meaning "choose" or "choice", reflects the program goal to offer communities surrounding protected areas an opportunity to choose to conserve wildlife whilst making informed choices to improve their livelihoods.

The program aims to halt the impacts of wildlife trafficking on key populations of flagship species and communities around protected areas in the South African and Mozambican landscape of the GLTFCA. The goal of the program is to contribute to positive growth rates in black and white rhino populations and maintain positive growth rates for elephants in the focal area by July 2022.

We will achieve our goal through collaboration between the WWF South Africa and partners towards the following objectives:

1. Support innovative partnerships and novel approaches within civil society, communities, private sector and government in at least four innovation nodes in GLTFCA to improve relationships between people and wildlife, by July 2022. 2. Support the implementation of critical wildlife trafficking policy frameworks for South Africa and Mozambique to increase crime prevention, detection, prosecution and collaboration, by July 2022. 3. Learn, collaborate and coordinate with influential institutions in the GLTFCA landscape to strengthen the collective response to wildlife trafficking, by July 2022.

The project objectives contribute to the implementation of the United States National Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking and complement regional and bilateral programs managed by USAID and other United States Government agencies in southern Africa. The program also aligns to ongoing responses by donors, governments, private sector and other organizations as well as to relevant national strategies and approaches in Mozambique and South Africa.

7 Background Quarterly Progress Report 2. BACKGROUND

The GLTFCA is one of the biggest networks of conservation areas in Africa and home to a spectacular array of species, including key populations of African elephants and white and black rhinos. Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) in ivory and rhino horn is one of the major threats facing these species. In the KNP, hundreds of rhinos are illegally killed every year at the hand of criminal syndicates.

As ecosystem engineers, elephants and rhinos play important roles in shaping and maintaining the environment. Apart from their key role in natural systems, they are also valued economically, socially, culturally and/or aesthetically by different sectors of society - albeit in different ways. In some areas, wildlife, in particular elephants, cause harm to people and their livelihoods, contributing to an already complex relationship between people, wildlife and wildlife conservation agencies.

The history of the GLTFCA landscape is important in understanding the drivers of wildlife trafficking and the conditions that create an enabling environment for IWT to flourish. In South Africa, the iconic KNP was formed as a much-needed wildlife sanctuary after uncontrolled hunting, disease and agricultural expansion decimated rangelands and wildlife numbers in the early 20th century. Communities who lived in the park and adjacent areas – and lived off the land for centuries – were evicted and deprived of their livelihoods. Under colonial rule, and later the apartheid regime, black communities were excluded from formal decision-making, policy formulation and management processes of national parks. Since the end of the apartheid in 1994, several institutional and regulatory changes were introduced to build a mutually beneficial relationship between local people and protected areas. However, although there have been small wins – such as the restitution of land or pay-outs to some communities, the establishment of community-run reserves and lodges, the creation of community-park forums to improve relations between peoples and parks, the appointment of CLOs and dedicated community programming – the relationship between communities and protected areas remains tense in some areas. Integration of local communities into the biodiversity economy is slow and happening at too small a scale to achieve the level of change needed. Progressive ideas about community management, co-management and ownership of protected areas and wildlife abound, but more is needed to implement these initiatives at scale.

Similarly, in Mozambique, the creation of the Limpopo National Park (LNP) in 2001 and its integration into the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP) in 2002, relocated about 7 000 people out of the park. The relocation has increased pressures on neighboring rural communities and their abilities to occupy space and access resources, including labor opportunities. Such conditions continue to create an enabling environment for criminal syndicates to take advantage of local people and to establish themselves in communities adjacent to protected areas with high-value wildlife.

Thus, wildlife trafficking is not only a conservation issue but also a social, economic and safety issue that affects local communities and protected areas. The safety and security and continued conservation of wildlife, such as elephants and rhinos, depends on the safety and security and socioeconomic wellbeing of the people who live with wildlife.

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Figure 1: The GLTP links the LNP in Mozambique, KNP in South Africa, and Gonarezhou National Park, Manjinji Pan Sanctuary and Malipati Safari Area in Zimbabwe, as well as two community owned areas, the Makuleke Area in South Africa and the Sengwe communal land in Zimbabwe. The GLTFCA includes the Banhine and Zinave National Parks, the Massingir and Corumana areas and interlinking regions in Mozambique, as well as various private, communal and state- owned conservation areas in South Africa and Zimbabwe bordering on the transfrontier park.

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2.1 WHERE WE WORK

Fundamentally, the Khetha program is grounded within the Mozambican and South African constituents of the GLTFCA - the LNP and the KNP (Figure 1). The program's work under Objective One focusses on innovation nodes located around the protected areas as detailed below (Figure 2). We recognize that IWT is driven by transnational organized syndicates and that products should be followed from the source to the market. Thus, under Objective Two, our work extends from the key nodes within the GLTFCA to identified ports of entry and exit in both Mozambique and South Africa. Under Objective Three, we work with various stakeholders across the GLTFCA, as well as the national governments of Mozambique and South Africa to strengthen the collective response to wildlife trafficking.

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2.2 INNOVATION NODES

Figure 2: Khetha program nodes

11 Highlights of this quarter Quarterly Progress Report 3. HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS QUARTER

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3.1 TIMELINE

Over the past quarter, Khetha staff, our consultants, sub-awardees and seconded positions participated in various meetings and field events with stakeholders and beneficiaries. These engagements help us collaborate, plan, review progress and host or participate in multi-partner platforms.

The illustration below is an overview of such events, and their relevance is described in more detail in the report. The meetings and events Khetha initiated or hosted are indicated in green, and we indicated in brackets where these were led by our consultants, secondees or sub-awardees.

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17 Administrative progress QuarterlyQuarterly ProgressProgress ReportReport 4. ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRESS

In January 2021, we secured rented site office premises in Awelani Lodge, Limpopo province, South Africa to house our CLOs working in the Makuya and Gidjana-Bevhula Khetha nodes.

The Khetha program Audit for the financial year ended June 30th, 2020, was performed and completed. The Final Audit report was submitted to USAID on March 9th, 2021.

18 Program & Technical Progress QuarterlyQuarterly Progress Progress Report Report 5. PROGRAM & TECHNICAL PROGRESS

This section reports on progress made in terms of the high-level work plan objectives and the more granular-level program themes.

5.1 Zooming out: High-level achievements

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5.2 ZOOMING IN: MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS AS PER WORK PLAN PROGRAM THEMES Objective 1

SUPPORT INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS AND NOVEL APPROACHES WITHIN CIVIL SOCIETY, COMMUNITIES, PRIVATE SECTOR, AND GOVERNMENT IN AT LEAST FOUR INNOVATION NODES IN GLTFCA TO IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE, BY JULY 2022.

Mozambique communities benefit from wildlife management

In Mozambique, our work enabled local communities to reap financial rewards from wildlife. In December 2020, we finalized the legalization of three CNRMCs in Mangalane, Kaptine and Cumana, a critical step in creating a well-governed flow of financial benefits from the private reserves to neighboring communities. In March 2021, the first payment of about 3 million meticas ($53 000) from a 20%-benefit scheme from wildlife management was paid to the committees. Next quarter, there will be a high-level official ceremony with local government and the community to observe the significant accomplishment. We will continue to support the CNRMCs in the planning of the use of the funds.

Upholding our community engagement and community conservation initiatives to the highest ethical and environmental standards

During this quarter, WWF South African and Mozambique undertook a risk analysis of their program's activities to ensure that we follow the standards, policies, planning and implementation mechanisms and compliance systems as set out in the WWF Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework (ESSF). The ESSF guides WWF in the engagement of local communities to plan and manage our work to improve and protect their lives, rights, and livelihoods while conserving nature and wildlife. The safeguards are designed to manage risks, uphold human rights, and ensure conservation projects deliver better outcomes for communities and nature. We use these safeguards to identify, avoid and mitigate negative social and environmental impacts.

Strengthening the connection and communication between people and protected areas in South Africa

In the Greater Kruger, the relationship between people and protected areas is complex and influenced by our political history, continued socioeconomic challenges in rural communities, and the cost and benefits of living with wildlife and protected areas. Open and transparent communication between stakeholders is a key component in bringing communities and conservation agencies closer together to discuss challenges, and jointly plan and implement solutions.

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Our SANParks CLOs and CLC are key individuals in improving the functionality of community structures, such as community forums, through which stakeholder consultation and planning take place. In March, our CLO participated in and documented a SANParks community dialogue on sustainable food security with Bushbuckridge farmers bordering the KNP, National Development Agency (NDA) officials and SANParks representatives. The farmers identified human-wildlife conflict, climate change, and the impact of COVID-19 as their greatest challenges and shared some of the response strategies they apply to various degrees of success. The farming community requested support from the NDA in the form of resources, succession planning and capacity building, conflict management, improved access to markets and better information flow between the stakeholders.

Our CLOs are also key in facilitating the formation of partnerships between conservation organizations and community structures. Our CLO in northern Kruger continues to arrange and support stakeholder engagements between the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (VBR) and relevant traditional authorities to discuss the VBR Tshumisano Women's Agricultural Project. This project aims to improve women's livelihoods in Bende Mutale by growing and selling chilis for the market. Chili is also used as an experimental mitigation strategy for human-elephant conflict.

Our CLOs and CLC assisted with the administrative process of capturing and verifying SANParks Damage Causing Animals (DCA) claim forms for incidents that occurred between 2014 and 2020 in the Greater Kruger. SANParks has a compensation scheme for DCA incidents when community members experience a loss of livestock or damage to their property. However, the process to successfully claim compensation requires robust documentation and good communication flows, from the reporting of the incident to rangers, the local traditional council, or community forums, to correct completion of forms, verification of the complaint by the SANParks Department of Socioeconomic Transformation, to the payout of compensation. HWC is an ongoing reality for people who live on the borders of protected areas and its impact can harm the relationship between people and protected areas if gone unaddressed. Thus, the CLOs and CLC helped to clear a backlog of reports and requests for a quicker turnaround and response from SANParks on HWC incidents.

In February, our CLOs and CLC participated in SANParks' Youth Champions Induction meetings in Skukuza and Mopani in the KNP. The meetings welcomed the park's 79 new EM’s (tourism and fence monitors) with an introduction to the KNP's work and its partners, including Khetha and our communications support to the protected area network of the Greater Kruger, which the EMs will also support.

The meetings were a great opportunity for the CLOs and CLC to engage with and get to know the EMs as they will be working together closely. The Youth Champions Program has a strong focus on career growth and skills development. Khetha will support communication skills development as part of the Youth Champions' career growth process.

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Figure 3: Our CLO, Faranani Lalumbe (right) and a new EM during a practical exercise at the Youth Champions Induction.

In March, the CLOs and CLC undertook a Biodiversity Stewardship training and capacity building course by SANBI. Biodiversity Stewardship is an approach to secure land in biodiversity priority areas through voluntary agreements of private and communal landowners. The CLOs and CLC learned about the principles and benefits of Biodiversity Stewardships, the institutional arrangements to coordinate Biodiversity Stewardships, the different Biodiversity Stewardship options or categories available to landowners, the legal declaration process, management plan development and post-declaration support. The training greatly benefitted the CLOs and CLC as they are supporting SANParks' Biodiversity Stewardship processes in the Greater Kruger. For example, landowners will be investing in ecological infrastructure and contributing to rural economic development as part of the wildlife economy project in Gidjana-Bevhula under a stewardship agreement. There are also numerous pending applications for communal land to be included in the KNP in the near future.

Testing restorative justice as an approach to improve community- conservation authority relations.

In partnership with EWT, we are developing guidelines for applying restorative justice to wildlife crimes in the Greater Kruger. Over the quarter, we finalized the first draft of guidelines and presented these at the Restorative Steering Committee meeting in January. We also provided an update on the selection of a pilot area to implementing the guidelines

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and the consultations with the tribal authorities of the area, as reported in October 2020. The steering committee guides the development and rollout of the guidelines. The committee consists of representatives from USAID, the Restorative Justice Centre, EWT, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

The innovative nature of the restorative justice project has created several communications opportunities. The project featured in the first issue of the International Journal of Restorative Justice, published in this quarter. We are contributing to the international repository of restorative justice thinking and development, in particular its application to wildlife crimes and how it can restore the harm done by wildlife crime and minimizing reoffending. In addition, EWT has been invited to write a chapter for the Palgrave Handbook of Environmental Restorative Justice, an internationally recognized, first- of-its-kind resource for the application of restorative justice to environmental crime. Furthermore, the Environmental Restorative Justice Working Group invited EWT to present at the virtual European Forum for Restorative Justice Symposium in June 2021.

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Figure 4: The Khetha restorative justice project featured in the first issue of the International Journal of Restorative Justice.

Enabling local communities to support HWC mitigation and improve relationships between them and conservation authorities.

For many in the Greater Kruger, for some communities, the cost of living next to protected areas is high. HWC undermines human welfare and health and safety. It impacts on livelihoods through livestock predation, crop-raiding, and the spread of zoonotic diseases from wildlife to livestock, such as foot-and-mouth disease. HWC, if unaddressed, increase tensions between local people and conservation authorities, undermining the often-fragile relationship.

In partnership with K2C, we are investigating the conditions that enable HWC in five communities living adjacent to protected areas in the Sabie River node, mapping infrastructure and developing community-based mitigation strategies for HWC. This quarter, we completed a situational analysis on the enabling factors and occurrence of HWC, which include but are not limited to environmental conditions, wildlife population management, infrastructure, and socioeconomic drivers. The situational analysis was accompanied by a survey of the quality and integrity of the fence of the KNP and neighboring protected areas intended to keep wildlife out of communities in the K2C area.

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In February and March, together with the K2C and a State Veterinarian at the Department of Agriculture, Lard Reform and Rural Development, we undertook two fence tours, one at the Mthethomusha Nature Reserve fence in the Matsulu node and the other at Letaba Ranch close to the Phalaubeni village in the Sabie River node. The purpose of the tours was to gain a deeper understanding of HWC and the importance of fence management for both the security of wildlife and livestock, people and their livelihoods. During both tours, we observed wildlife tracks and dung mixed with that of livestock, an indication of how wildlife and livestock interact inside and outside protected areas.

Human-wildlife conflict

The World Conservation Union defines HWC as a threat resulting directly from the competition between rural communities and wild animals over natural resources, entailing consequential tangible costs to both people and wildlife. In Africa, HWC primarily occurs in regions where rural communities are living adjacent to protected areas. In South Africa and Mozambique, local community members report HWC occurrences due to problem animals from neighboring protected areas such as crop raiding by elephants and baboons, livestock depredation by lion and spotted hyena, and occasional incidences involving large animal attacks on people.

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Figure 5: Cattle tracks close to the broken fence at the Mthethomusha Nature reserve

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Figure 6: Often the only mode of transport, the fence technicians use bicycles to cover many kilometers between places where the fence requires fixing or maintenance.

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Figure 7: The state veterinarian inspects the broken fence.

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Figure 8: EMs and Fence Monitors walk the fence every day to check the integrity of the fence and report any damage.

In Mozambique, HWC is also a major challenge for many communities. Through WWF Mozambique, we conducted a survey that mapped HWC in Chicualacuala, Mapai, Mabalane, and Massingir to better understand the status of HWC in these districts and how government, mandated to manage HWC, is responding and to identify other organizations working on HWC in the area. We are planning a conference on HWC in June with stakeholders, including those from South Africa, to share lessons, techniques and approaches to addressing HWC.

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Walking the fence

The state veterinarian points out the tracks in the mud. My untrained eyes squint. Are those cattle tracks? Yes. I look up. The first few concrete brick houses mark the Matsulu Village, only a few steps away. We stand at the fence of the Mthethomusha Nature Reserve, or at least, what is meant to be a fence. It is severely damaged by people, recent floods and animals. Mthethomusha is an 8 000-hectare reserve on the south-western border of and open to the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Africa's Big Five roams here.

We spot more tracks on the other side of the dilapidated fence – buffalo!

But buffalo and cattle cannot mix. African buffalo is known to carry foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). If spread to cattle, it can bring local and even international meat trade to its knees. When a case of FMD is reported, South Africa’s FMD-free status is temporarily suspended which means red meat exports are stopped immediately and affected provinces are banned from selling meat in local markets. This unleashes an economic disaster on local communities.

Thus, in South Africa, fencing is commonly used as an agricultural practice to separate wildlife and livestock to prevent the spread of disease, and to a lesser extent, prevent wildlife from escaping reserves.

Cattle is a major source of income and a common livelihood for a lot of people living on the western boundary of the Kruger National Park. So, the spread of bovine diseases stemming from wildlife interaction is a serious issue for cattle owners, as is predation on cattle and other livestock, and crop-raiding from wild animals in search of food. These are major causes of tension between communities and protected area managers and often result in human-wildlife conflict in the form of retaliation.

The state veterinarian holds up a piece of the fence. The Greater Kruger fence line runs 350 kilometres, or 217 miles, from north to south. SANParks EMs and fence monitors walk the fence every day and report damages and other issues, such as evidence of escaped wildlife or suspected illegal human incursions into reserves. But the upkeep of the fence is a major challenge for the mandated provincial government and state veterinary services. The terrain and climate can be unforgiving as technicians cover long distances, often on bicycles, between locations where the fence needs fixing. Interactions with wildlife, dehydration, and exposure to disease, for example, from ticks, are always a risk. WWF is in discussion with the mandated authorities to provide support and find solutions that can improve the working conditions of EMs and fence monitors and improve the management of HWC. We get back in our vehicles, and just in time. We hear a branch break, and an elephant

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bull comes into view, slowly making its way along the fence line. I have learned that good fences make good neighbors. When conservation agencies and environmental monitors work to maintain the fence, communities show their appreciation. It builds trust and a shared sense of neighbourly responsibility.

I hold my breath - will the bull pass through the broken fence and into the village? We watch in silence as it keeps right and disappears through the bushes. Not today.

Figure 9: An elephant bull next to the fence at the Mthethomusha Nature Reserve.

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Assessing policies and legislation relating to wildlife trafficking and conservation which influence the relationship between people and protected areas in South Africa.

We consulted landscape partners, the SAWC, the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), SANParks, Conservation South Africa, and DFFE on how policies, legislation and governance mechanisms around access to, co-management of, and beneficiation from natural resources influence the relationship between people and protected areas. Our partners helped define broad problem statements that provide a deeper understanding of the impact such policies and mechanisms have on the wellbeing of people and their relationship with protected areas. We also developed questions around 1) how policies and frameworks can be translated to create benefits on the ground, 2) how benefits can be shared and governed in a community, 3) whether there are government incentives for the private sector to participate in community-benefit schemes, 4) how the impact of co-management agreements and benefit schemes can be measured, 5) how we can raise awareness about the policies and legislation affecting access to natural resources, and 6) what mechanisms exist to enable communication and discussion between communities and all levels of government.

Next quarter, we will finalize the research question and commence with research. Objective 2

SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CRITICAL WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING POLICY FRAMEWORKS FOR SOUTH AFRICA AND MOZAMBIQUE TO INCREASE CRIME PREVENTION, DETECTION, PROSECUTION AND COLLABORATION, BY JULY 2022.

Understanding the dynamics of the illegal wildlife trade in South Africa

In partnership with EWT, we are researching the dynamics of IWT in South Africa, with a focus on rhino horn and ivory, by identifying and assessing various sources of information. In March, EWT met with the Skukuza SAPS Captain to get guidance on the best approach to obtain case dockets and court records. We continue to collect and analyze information from other sources such as open-source media records, CITES and other trade databases, sales from e-commerce and social media network platforms, and meetings and consultations with key informants such as journalists, researchers, freight agents, hunting associations and game ranch associations, post offices etc. The final research output is expected in September 2021 for law enforcement's consideration in their strategies to address IWT.

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Supporting ranger training, conditions and wellness

In Mozambique, we are improving ranger effectiveness to prevent and respond to IWT by providing strategic equipment for a Joint Operations Center in the Magude district. In January, WWF Mozambique did a site visit to inspect the progress of setting up the APICOC, which includes the establishment of containers, modified for the use as an office, various pieces of furniture, a water supply system and equipment to operationalize the center. Heavy rains have delayed the construction, however, the contractor committed to speeding up work to meet the construction deadlines. This activity is carried out jointly with the law enforcement and heritage departments of ANAC.

Supporting South Africa's investigations of illegal wildlife trade

We are seconding a Biodiversity Enforcement Analyst and an Enforcement Coordination and Liaison to DFFE's Law, Authority, Compliance and Enforcement (LACE) program, providing specialized skills to investigate IWT. The secondees supports the implementation of national and regional strategies and agreements that impacts on wildlife crime in South Africa and regionally such as the SADC LEAP strategy and the African Union strategy on Combatting Illegal Wildlife Trade. Thus, their scope of work is not limited to only rhino and elephant-related crimes, but IWT broadly in South Africa and the region.

IWT requires a transboundary, multi-agency and multi-sectoral response. Wildlife crime investigation, while only one element of the response to IWT, requires the same type of response. The Enforcement Coordination and Liaison is critical in ensuring that DFFE LACE works closely with all the parties needed to disrupt criminal networks in South Africa and abroad.

Our DFFE secondees continue to oversee the roll-out of and training of rangers in Cmore in South Africa. Cmore is a software application that law enforcement uses to live-track poaching incidents in protected areas. The information is critical for law enforcement agencies to strategize and respond to wildlife crime. The Analyst also conducted monitoring and inspections of various facilities trading in indigenous species around the Northern Cape province.

In the last quarter, the DFFE secondees have been involved in several meetings. They attended a meeting on the new POPI Act which is vital to understand as the Analyst works with personal information daily. They also attended the NBIF Rhino Subcommittee meeting with other law enforcement officials working on rhino-related crimes. These meetings are crucial in keeping abreast of the current poaching situation, adapting law enforcement efforts based on the latest intelligence, and improving intelligence gathering and sharing of information on suspects and criminal networks to improve investigations that lead to arrests and prosecutions.

The Analyst also presented as a guest speaker at a SANBI internal webinar on the response to the threat of the illegal plant trade. The aim of the event was to create an awareness of

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the dire situation succulent plants are facing and to initiate some thinking on how SANBI could contribute to alleviating the problem.

Enhancing prosecutions in Mozambique

New asset forfeiture legislation was approved in Mozambique, which provides police, investigators and prosecutors with a tool to target wildlife trafficking kingpins and those higher up in the criminal networks. This is a result of months of continuous engagement with the Mozambique Attorney General and the sensitization of the judiciary for the need for asset forfeiture legislation in Mozambique The Attorney General requested support to disseminate the new legislation and provide training to prosecutors and judges with a focus on asset forfeiture.

Developing an evidence-based approach to build integrity and mitigate the impact of corruption.

Corruption is widely recognized as being a key enabler of wildlife trafficking and is strongly linked to the persistence of transnational organized crime syndicates. However, the majority of responses to wildlife crime to date have focused on anti-poaching rather than addressing systemic corruption. Addressing corruption requires a good understanding of the different types of that enable different forms of wildlife crime. We are undertaking a comprehensive review of the entry points of corruption in wildlife trafficking in the GLTFCA, taking lessons from other sectors and making recommendations for activities to address corruption.

This quarter, we prepared a literature review and expert assessment outlining the types of corruption and evidence-based approaches to address corruption. We also undertook interviews with KNP management to develop a refined and improved understanding of the perceived breadth, depth and scope of the corruption within the organization. Next quarter, we are drafting an implementation plan with recommended approaches to mitigate the impacts of corruption on high-value wildlife crime in the GLTFCA. Objective 3

LEARN, COLLABORATE AND COORDINATE WITH INFLUENTIAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE GLTFCA LANDSCAPE TO STRENGTHEN THE COLLECTIVE RESPONSE TO WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING, BY JULY 2022

Celebrating World Wildlife Day

On World Wildlife Day, celebrated on March 3rd, we hosted discussions and shared information on the Khetha program through different media vehicles in Mozambique. We hosted discussions on IWT and how communities are stakeholders in addressing IWT on community radios, hosted an online discussion in coordination with USAID Mozambique on Khetha-work in the landscape, and engaged our social media audience and followers

35 Program & Technical Progress QuarterlyQuarterly Progress Progress Report Report

through several posts. We also featured in the Jornal Noticias, the main newspaper in the country.

Community-focused symposiums to share research results.

Since 2018, we have completed various pieces of research to better understand the dynamics, drivers, and perceptions of wildlife trafficking and the effectiveness of approaches to address IWT in the Greater Kruger landscape. We will be taking the results back to the research participants and other stakeholders who can benefit from the findings. The research symposiums, planned for June, are a first of their kind in the landscape, being specifically focussed on making research findings relevant and accessible to community members who participated in it.

Understanding elephant management in the GLTFCA.

The development of a GLTFCA Elephant Management Framework requires a comprehensive understanding of the requirements and challenges of elephant management in the landscape. Thus, through the consultant, we undertook a situational analysis that included an institutional and stakeholder mapping exercise, the identification of the legal and policy context, a review of the socioeconomic context, a review of the ecological context, an assessment of the landscape and area integrity focussing on potential risks such as IWT, and a synopsis of relevant elephant research and the scientific understanding of elephant ecology and related issues. The wildlife translocation policy, developed in the previous quarter, and the situational analysis is being presented at the GLTFCA Working Group meeting in May 2021 for their input.

Participating in learning events and platforms.

Over the quarter, we participated in several platforms and opportunities to share with and learn from others in and beyond the Khetha landscape about IWT, its drivers and potential solutions. Such learning experiences contribute to strengthening the collective response to IWT.

We attended two USAID VukaNow MELCOM meetings. The first meeting was on survey and question designs, and the second on the use of roleplay games to facilitate discussions of complex issues, such as wildlife crime, with different stakeholders using a case study of community engagement around the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. We also attended the SPARCC7 on the SADC LEAP strategy, monthly USAID CWC landscape partner meetings, and the first GKEPF CLO Forum meeting where stakeholders from the region were introduced to one another.

Facilitating the review and updating of the SANParks Rhino Management Strategy

The KNP is a stronghold for white and black rhino populations in southern Africa and

36 Quarterly Progress Report

the conservation of these key populations on their effective management. A 2016 – 2020 SANParks Rhino Management Strategy guided SANParks in both the biological management of rhinos and the protection of rhinos from poaching. We responded to a request from SANParks to facilitate a workshop as a first step in the process to review and update the current strategy, including the development of an implementation plan. The workshop brought together different departments within KNP responsible for the various aspects of rhino management, ranging from section and regional rangers and sergeants, to state veterinarians and biodiversity conservation managers. Discussions centered around the relative levels of success of different law enforcement practices and tools to address poaching, the impact of the ecological management of rhino habitat and biological management of the species, as well as the need to fight corruption and build institutional integrity. Moving forward, we are assisting the Scientific Services with a continued process of various engagements with different departments in SANParks to develop the new Rhino Management Strategy and Implementation Plan for the next five years.

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5.3. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Wildlife crime is a complex problem that requires a transboundary, multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary response. Thus, our program approach is to strengthen the collective response to wildlife trafficking by partnering, learning, collaborating and coordinating with state, private, community and NGO stakeholders in the Khetha landscape. We also engage stakeholders beyond the Khetha landscape for learning and sharing purposes. We highlight a few important engagements here.

In Mozambique, we are working closely with our state partner, ANAC, to assess the impact of HWC in the Khetha landscape. We continue discussions with ANAC about a potential wildlife economy project and the proclamation of Mangalane as a community conservation area. We are also working with ANAC, as well as SANParks and SAWC, to identify state and private rangers to attend the Braveheart training. Braveheart is a curriculum we developed in 2019 that focuses on building leadership skills.

Through regular meetings, we also keep SANParks abreast of other Khetha-project developments, such our project to develop an evidence-based approach to build integrity and mitigate the impacts of corruption in the GLTFCA, the results of the survey on ranger working conditions, and our support to building the capacity of the SANParks EMs.

We are engaging SANParks, Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR) neighboring KNP, and GKEPF to build a coalition to participate in the process of Project FIRE which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-poaching interventions.

On the research front, stakeholder consultations are critical to ensure our research projects deliver valuable results and we produce policy briefs and guidance documents that can influence change in policy and legislation relating to conservation, sustainable use, and wildlife trafficking. So, we continuously engage, feedback progress and consult relevant stakeholders and thematic experts, such as SAWC, LEDET, SANParks and DFFE, to ensure the outcomes meet the needs of the beneficiaries and implementers of policy change. This quarter, the discussions focussed on community beneficiation schemes from conservation.

Through WWF Mozambique, we are engaging the LNP and the TRACE Network on potential support to strengthen Mozambique's wildlife forensic capacity. WWF Mozambique also continues to engage local government regarding the formalizing of District Natural Resource Management Committees (DNRMC) where these do not exist. DNRMCs are critical structures in Mozambique through which the co-management of wildlife and the sharing of resources between communities and protected areas are planned, implemented, and governed. Therefore, the establishment of DNRMCs is a critical first step in addressing challenges relating to HWC and creating benefit schemes for rural communities from wildlife.

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We continue discussions with other USAID programs such as VukaNow and Resilient Waters on activities of mutual interest or geographic overlap, such as our support to build the capacity of the judiciary, train journalists in communicating on IWT, and implementation of youth sports programs to prevent engagement in IWT.

We often support our partners on field trips to offer technical assistance and to remain in touch with the context in which our projects are implemented. This quarter, we joined the K2C on field visit to the KNP fence to see first-hand the challenges relating to HWC and fence management. We also joined the CLOs and CLC at the SANParks Youth Induction meetings to meet the new EMs with whom the CLOs and CLC will be working closely.

39 Learning and Reflection QuarterlyQuarterly Progress Progress Report Report 6. LEARNING AND REFLECTION

Onlookers or protagonists? The role of communities in conservation

“During our consultations with experts and practitioners (to learn more about the policies that influence the relationship between people and protected areas), a well- known conservationist said the following: ‘Community engagement typically consists of conservation authorities formulating their strategies first, put budgets and plans together, and then going out to ‘consult’ with communities about what they must agree to. This is a very paternalistic approach. After all these years, communities are not at the heart of decision-making. We need to change the mindset of government actors.’ I couldn’t agree more with this statement. We need to start seeing community actors as our equals. One of our Khetha activities for this year is to build the capacity of community actors to meaningfully participate in the governance of natural resources. This is not just about helping people to have a voice at the table, but to enable them to negotiate robustly, and on an equal footing, with their government counterparts. I learned that community engagement can easily become a ‘tick-box’ exercise. Our challenge remains as crucial as ever – bringing about paradigm shifts between communities and protected areas, and it goes both ways”.

~ Khetha team member

“Through our involvement in the GEF 6 program, we interact with all the key conservation agencies and NGOs in the landscape, and increasingly, with Traditional Authorities who serve communities on the western boundary of Kruger National Park. Traditional Authorities are the entry points for negotiations with local communities. In recent workshops, it was striking that interactions with community structures (like Traditional Authorities, People and Conservation and community-park forums) tend to follow the same pattern. Typically, conservation agencies lead the meetings, present their slides first, and only then do the community representatives get their turn. Recently, we suggested that the meeting format is turned around so that communities speak first. Why? Because we need to send a message to them that their views are important and that we have high expectations about the quality of their participation. This suggestion was debated, but ultimately, the meeting format went back to the tried-and-tested formula: Conservation agency first, community representatives last. Given the challenges we face in building pro-conservation community constituencies on KNP’s western boundary, I believe new approaches and tools are needed. But people are (understandably) risk-averse. We need to find ways to inspire our partners to try new things, to take small risks and to ‘shake the cage’ a bit. If we want a different result, we need to try new things.”

~ Khetha team member

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Of Porous Boundaries and Good Neighbours

“I encountered something quite surprising during our HWC field visit up north. It was quite surprising for me to see first-hand how porous KNP’s fence line is and how easy it can be transgressed. As we examined a HWC scene, we were able to enter the park after an Induna from a nearby local community picked up a key from underneath a small rock and opened a gate leading us straight into the park. This was in contrast with the poor maintenance of the provincial fence line where there were whole sections of the fence on the ground allowing animals and people to easily cross the boundary. Of course, the park’s fence was never designed to ward off criminals, but it is still an important reality check and hits home the message that the park’s neighbors are critical to the sustainability and security of the park. The efforts from the community in addressing the fence issues also highlighted the potential for local value chains where members from the local community can be employed to monitor and maintain the fence. This would be a powerful mechanism to build the relationship between communities and protected areas as this limits HWC, prevents incursions into the park and provides employment opportunities to improve the livelihoods of people. During another site visit in the Matsulu area, we saw parts of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) fence that was completely destroyed or removed. This means animals like elephants wander out and HWC increases. Buffalo straying into communal areas create a major foot-and-mouth outbreak risk. I learned that fences are not just there for security but also for the safety of local communities. In this sense, good fences make good neighbors.”

~ Khetha team member

Ranger work in a time of corruption

Through our recently launched research project on corruption and IWT, the ‘corruption’ topic has been front of mind. We talk a lot about how ranger work has changed in the last decade, in the sense that rangers are now engaged in complex and demanding law enforcement tasks. But there is another dimension to the changing context of their work. Many rangers find themselves under tremendous pressure to become enrolled in corrupt activities. Sophisticated criminals are experts at enticing and even entrapping rangers. We are learning more about the need to build rangers’ capacity to withstand this insidious challenge. We need to build their resilience not just to do law enforcement work effectively but also to maintain integrity during financially trying times. This is especially pertinent during a time when conservation agencies face budget cuts brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic.”

~ Khetha team member

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“There is a lot of discussion on integrity and integrity testing from a number of top law enforcement officials in the Greater Kruger. It seems to be seen by some as a silver bullet to addressing misconduct and corruption, but less understanding on what the underlying drivers of this may be, and little of what greater systemic change and transformation of relationships needs to happen to solve this issue. Through our research and recent series of interviews, we are gaining much more insight into the drivers of corruption, and there is an interesting convergence of ideas about how it might be best mitigated.”

~ Khetha team member & Consultant

“We learned that conservation agencies are really committed to building ranger capacity. I believe that there is great potential in the Braveheart Ranger Leadership training curriculum and that it will be an invaluable investment in up skilling and capacitating our up-and-coming leadership. This can also be used as a springboard for succession planning. Leadership has a great impact on staff motivation and morale. It is critical to improve the quality of leadership at all levels. When one of our key partners heard we are rolling out the Braveheart training, he said the following, ‘This is really exciting, thank you very much for this fantastic opportunity and looking forward to supporting your good work and making proud Braveheart graduates.’ Our challenge is also to learn more about the process of learning, which is part of our routine monitoring and evaluation activities. In other words, we look forward to learning more about how rangers learn, so that our training is relevant and impactful.”

~ Khetha team member

Creating space for perspectives and convening partners for change

“In 2019, we conducted a desktop media analysis to provide insight to how the South African and Mozambican print and digital media is currently reporting on the illegal wildlife trade. The analysis, as well as a recent assessment by the Khetha program of wildlife crime prevention approaches, shows that the current IWT narrative focuses almost exclusively on poachers and the physical act of poaching and ignores poaching as the first act in a much larger chain of transnational criminal behaviors. We continue to find such narratives online as we monitor the conversations taking place on social media and other online platforms. Our research found that reports on IWT are often racially charged. It demonizes individuals or whole communities, stereotyping them as all being poachers and portraying them as evil and rapacious. It results in the criminalization and marginalization of the sector of society most likely to be recruited as poachers – who are typically already marginalized and have limited opportunities. Initially, we designed a project intervention to challenge and change the current narrative on IWT to encourage and support the participation of communities in the discussions around IWT and other issues that affect their relationships with wildlife and protected areas. However, after more reflection and internal debate, the intent to 'change the narrative on rhino poaching' has changed to not necessarily wanting to change the current narrative to something else, but rather to allow alternative narratives to emerge and other perspectives and voices to

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be heard. This requires us to be comfortable with worldviews and stories that differ from our own. A respondent in our SenseMaker research in 2019 told us that no one has ever asked her thoughts on rhinos and conservation and protected areas. Yet, we expect pro- conservation behavior from those who we never speak to or is rarely given an opportunity to voice their opinions and perspectives on matters of wildlife and conservation that affects them. Their stories are a reflection of the lived reality of the issues on the ground that influences or affects IWT. If we do not pay heed to these stories, perspectives and opinions, our intervention strategies will remain based on untested assumptions and, therefore, misguided. Our efforts will not yield conservation results if we do not listen to those who can, directly and indirectly, influence IWT.”

~ Khetha team member

“More individuals and departments in KNP/SANParks are recognizing WWF as a key partner. I've had the impression in the past that state entities prefer to keep some of their strategic initiatives ‘in house’ (like it was done in the past perhaps?), while others recognize that all the work cannot be done without partners. After we facilitated the KNP Rhino Management Strategy Workshop, I get the impression that we are solidifying our role as a trusted partner to the KNP. Furthermore, the workshop had relevance to many outcomes of objective 1, 2, and 3 and is central to Khetha’s goal. It is a process that will give us deeper insight into the challenges of rhino management in a public park, including the protection of rhinos, the biological management of rhinos, as well as external influences such as the political factors. Being part of the process allows us to support SANParks in navigating through these challenges and facilitate innovative thinking in finding solutions to mitigate the rhino problem in and around the KNP. This valuable insight will also inform some of our work going forward.”

~ Khetha team member

43 Upcoming activities Quarterly Progress Report 8. UPCOMING ACTIVITIES Objective 1

• Support the training of SANParks EMs as part of the SANParks Youth Champions Program.

• Support the professional development of community engagement practitioners and/ or facilitate research about CLO work.

• Document and evaluate the learning needs and learning journey of CLOs.

• Appoint an Innovative Finance and Livelihoods Consultant.

• Develop and implement a youth sports program in Matsulu and Sabie River nodes as a mitigation strategy to IWT.

• Conduct a field visit to Bende Mutale to explore the willingness of community members to talk about IWT and the research methods that would be most appropriate to apply to collect the necessary data for our review of policies that influence the relationship between people and protected areas.

• Finalize the assessment of HWC in the Khetha landscape of Mozambique.

• Host a conference in Mozambique on HWC with lessons from other regions, including South Africa.

• Continue support to the CNRMCs in Mangalane, Kaptine and Cumana, Mozambique, through capacity building initiatives.

• Have follow-up meeting with traditional councils in the pilot area of the restorative justice project.

• Develop a range of communication products and awareness campaign for the restorative justice project. Objective 2

• Commence with the development of a training curriculum on IWT for the South African judiciary.

• Finalize the establishment of the APICOC to support law enforcement in the prevention and detection of wildlife crime and apprehension of offenders.

• Finalize procurement of wildlife crime scene investigation kits for ANAC and investigation police in Mozambique.

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• Train prosecutors on IWT in Gaza, Mozambique.

• Train judges in Mozambique on IWT once the training manual is approved by the Supreme Court.

• Support ranger leadership training in South Africa. Objective 3

• Continue technical communications support to the GKSDP.

• Host research symposiums in each Khetha node in South Africa.

• Finalize the update of the Khetha communication strategies in South Africa and Mozambique.

• Create environmental clubs at schools in the Mozambique landscape.

• Develop a training program for local journalists on reporting IWT.

• Present GLTFCA wildlife translocation policy, situational analysis, and stakeholder engagement and communications strategy at the GLTFCA Working Group and Partners Forum meetings.

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UPDATE ON CONSULTANCIES

OBJECTIVE 1: SUPPORT INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS AND NOVEL WILDLIFE CRIME PREVENTION APPROACHES AMONG CIVIL SOCIETY, COMMUNITIES, PRIVATE SECTOR AND GOVERNMENT.

Consultancy title: Investigate policies which influence relationships between people and protected areas/wildlife.

Program reference number: ZA5570.O

Purpose: To create a positive policy environment that enables communities to benefit from wildlife and encourages the protection of wildlife through an enhanced understanding of the range of policies from local to an international scale. Through a review of the legislation and implementation of policies in both South Africa and Mozambique, we will determine which policies and legislation are directly or indirectly relevant and identify any disjunctions that influence people's attitudes towards protected areas and wildlife (e.g. access to resources, beneficiation from trophy hunting).

Progress: We hosted consultations with key landscape partners on the impact of policies, legislation and governance mechanisms around access to, co-management of, and beneficiation from natural resources that influence the relationship between people and protected areas. Our partners assisted in developing research questions that can provide valuable information to inform the development of policy and governance recommendations. Next quarter, we are undertaking a field visit to Bende Mutale to explore the willingness of community members to talk about IWT and the research methods that would be most appropriate to apply to collect the necessary data.

Consultancy title: Developing human-wildlife conflict monitoring and response strategies for communities.

Program reference number: ZA5570.AZ

Purpose: To develop and pilot a standard HWC monitoring tool in partnership with the provincial institutions, LEDET, and MTPA mandated to address HWC, as well as the KNP; to identify and map communities in the Khetha landscape vulnerable to HWC and the livelihood practices under threat by HWC; to identify common damage-causing species as suggested by the communities; and to document social and cultural influences that drive retaliation to HWC.

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Progress: K2C completed a situational analysis on the enabling factors of HWC in the K2C region in the Greater Kruger, which include but are not limited to environmental conditions, wildlife population management, infrastructure, socioeconomic drivers of HWC and a comparison of number of incidences with number of incidents resolved. K2C also completed a survey of the fence, including its quality and integrity. These reports are under review and will be finalized and shared in the next quarter.

Consultancy title: Greater Kruger Wildlife Economy

Program reference number: ZA5570.AD

Purpose: To improve security and political support for the Greater Kruger Area through the implementation of integrated land-use models and the alleviation of pressure associated with poverty and other social development challenges in the region. Establish practical examples of the value of the Greater Kruger Area and the associated Wildlife Economy, which show how it can be developed to drive the socioeconomic transformation of South Africa's wildlife and tourism industries.

Progress: We are currently still negotiating contract and project details with USAID.

Consultancy title: Conducting a livelihoods study in the South African landscape of the GLTFCA

Program reference number: ZA5570.BJ

Purpose: To evaluate the potential of the licit and illicit biodiversity economies to unlocking benefits and enhancing the livelihoods of indigenous communities around the GLTFCA. The study will provide an in-depth understanding of the drivers of rural and peri-urban communities in the GLTFCA and identify potential livelihood activities that can be amplified by Khetha and its partners working on the landscape in order to improve the welfare of households and communities in the area.

Progress: We are currently still revising the project details with USAID.

Consultancy title: Greater Kruger Community Liaison Officer Capacity Building & Training: Research & Evaluation

Program reference number: ZA5570.BQ

Purpose: Community liaisons play a critical role as the bridge between conservation agencies (for example, SANParks, NGOs) and communities to reduce the prevalence and

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impact of illegal wildlife trade. A broad range of skills is required of them to mediate the relationship between protected areas and local communities. To meet the training needs of community liaisons, we will conduct a training needs assessment for community l adapt training courses from the Skukuza Science Leadership Initiative (SSLI) and provide subsequent training to community liaisons.

Progress: The consultancy is awaiting USAID approval.

Consultancy title: World Parks, World Cup: IWT prevention through sport

Program reference number: ZA5570.BR

Purpose : Pilot and test a youth sports program as a community-based crime prevention methodology and approach to strengthen relationships between people and protected areas. Using sport as an entry point with the youth, the project aims to have a positive social impact and influence pro-conservation behavior by creating positive experiences through which to engage on more difficult issues, such as conservation and wildlife crime.

Progress: The consultancy is awaiting USAID approval.

Consultancy title: Greater Kruger Innovative Finance and Livelihoods Consultancy

Program reference number : ZA5570.AQ

Purpose: Develop feasibility studies and innovative business and financing model plans in in service of community-based livelihood initiatives in the Greater Kruger area.

Progress: The consultancy is awaiting USAID approval.

OBJECTIVE 2: SUPPORTING LAW ENFORCEMENT TO INCREASE WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING PREVENTION, DETECTION, AND PROSECUTION, AND REDUCE WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING-RELATED CORRUPTION.

Consultancy title: Development of a Training Curriculum for the South African Judiciary on Wildlife Crime

Program reference number: ZA5570.BK

Purpose: In collaboration with the South African Judicial Education Institute (SAJEI), the mandated authority in South Arica to train and capacitate the judiciary, and with the support from the DFFE, we will develop an engaging multimedia training curriculum on wildlife trafficking and related legislation for the South African judiciary. The curriculum will form part of a broader training curriculum on environmental crime being developed by SAJEI and DFFE.

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Progress : The consultancy is awaiting USAID approval.

Consultancy title: Supporting ranger training, conditions and wellness

Program reference number: ZA5570.BM

Purpose: Using the training curriculum we developed in Year Three with the SAWC thataims to increase rangers' leadership skills through community engagement, negotiation and conflict resolution skills. The training will also focus on themes of human resources management, law enforcement and conservation ethics, human rights, advanced technology, and corruption.

Progress: The project received USAID approval. In the next quarter, together with KNP, MTPA, LEDET, private reserves, and ANAC, we will identify and select rangers from Mozambique and South Africa to attend Braveheart training. We are validating the curriculum for alignment with the training requirements in Mozambique.

Consultancy title: Legal support and training for SANParks Kruger National Parks Rangers

Program reference number: ZA5570.AT

Purpose: Provide legal support and training to SANParks-KNP Ranger Services engaged in anti-poaching operations to ensure rangers adhere to best-practice law enforcement ethics and standards. The training will ensure rangers can identify and mitigate the risks involved in anti-poaching operations. The consultancy will provide legal support and guidance in all law enforcement-related incidents. The consultancy will also build the capacity of the SANParks legal support.

Progress: The consultancy continues to provide support and training to SANParks rangers.

Consultancy title: Identify evidence-based approaches to build integrity and mitigate the impacts of corruption in the GLTFCA landscape.

Project reference number: ZA5570. U

Purpose: Corruption is widely recognized as being a key enabler of wildlife trafficking, but the majority of response efforts to IWT to date have focused on wildlife and anti-poaching issues rather than addressing the corruption aspects. It is recognized that corruption is widely associated with activities of transnational organized crime syndicates and that a wealth of expertise exists from spheres other than wildlife conservation. Various types of corruption are exhibited within different sectors and at different levels that enable different forms of wildlife crime. These differ between contexts so it is important to ensure the correct provisions and methodologies are used. The purpose of this assignment is to undertake a comprehensive review of the entry points of corruption in wildlife trafficking

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in GLTFCA, lessons from other sectors in addressing these and make recommendations for activities to address corruption.

Progress: The consultant prepared a literature review and expert assessment outlining types of corruption and evidence-based approaches to address corruption. They also undertook interviews with KNP management to develop a refined and improved understanding of the perceived breadth, depth and scope of the corruption within the institution. The literature review is under review and will be finalized next quarter. Next quarter, we will complete key stakeholder interviews and draft an implementation plan with recommended approaches to mitigate the impacts of corruption on high-value wildlife crime in the GLTFCA.

OBJECTIVE 3: LEARN, COLLABORATE AND COORDINATE WITH INFLUENTIAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE GLTFCA LANDSCAPE TO STRENGTHEN THE COLLECTIVE RESPONSE TO WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING BY JULY 2022.

Consultancy title: Developing a GLTFCA Elephant Management Framework

Program reference number: ZA5570.AJ

Purpose: The Framework will guide a collaborative and coordinated approach to manage and conserve the elephant populations in the GLTFCA. The process developing the framework will also build a common understanding and vision for elephant conservation and management amongst the key stakeholders involved. The framework will align the current and proposed elephant management practices in the GLTFCA, and its implementation will strengthen coordination and cooperation amongst key stakeholders and interest groups. The framework will include various elements of elephant conservation and management, including elephant habitat maintenance and connectivity; elephant translocation between the three countries; elephant security and prevention of illegal trade in elephant products; elephant-human conflict mitigation; community engagement and the creation of equitable benefits for living with wildlife; and the development of an integrated research program relating to elephant conservation and management.

Progress: We conducted a situational analysis that aims to provide a comprehensive understanding and context of elephant management in the GLTFCA. The situational analysis includes an institutional and stakeholder map, a description of the legal and policy context, a review of the socioeconomic context, a review of the ecological context, an assessment of the landscape and area integrity focussing on potential risks such as IWT, and a synthesis of relevant elephant research and the scientific understanding of elephant ecology and related issues. The situational analysis, together with the wildlife translocation policy developed last quarter, are being presented at the GLTFCA Working Group meeting in May 2021 for their input.

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Consultancy title: Rhino and Elephant Aerial Census of the KNP

Program reference number: ZA5570.BH

Purpose: To provide optimized robust estimates of elephants and rhinos complemented by demographic variables to help evaluate changes. Furthermore, the census will 1) establish a sample-based population estimate for black rhino, white rhino and elephants for different regions and in KNP as a whole; establish the distribution of elephants and rhino populations in the KNP; 3) determine an estimate of density for each of the areas of special concern where elephants play a role in influencing various conservation values; 4) establish a demographic profile for white rhinos extracted from a representative age and sex structure sample for white rhino; and 5) establish a demographic profile for black rhinos extracted from an inclusive age and sex structure assignment for all black rhino encountered.

Progress: SANParks submitted two initial draft reports that are currently under review.

Consultancy title: Responding to the communication needs in the Greater Kruger Protected Area Network concerning COVID-19.

Program reference number: ZA5570.BI

Purpose: To support the communication needs for the protected area network in the Greater Kruger. This includes improving communication relating to the mitigation and prevention of COVID-19 impacts in the Greater Kruger; understanding and communicating the impact of COVID-19 on conservation areas and neighboring communities; strengthening the network of communicators in the Greater Kruger; and providing key learnings from behavioral change campaigns to the Khetha program, and other stakeholders.

Progress: The consultancy is awaiting USAID approval.

Consultancy title: Journalism training and field excursions to improve reporting on illegal wildlife trade

Program reference: ZA5570.BN

Purpose: To build the capacity of local reporters from the Greater Kruger area to tell stories coming from the Greater Kruger and give wider perspectives to the issue of IWT. This includes facilitating and supporting access to media houses and platforms where these stories can be shared and it will give reporters an opportunity to engage with peers, associates and experts involved in finding solutions to illegal wildlife poaching and trafficking.

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Progress: The consultancy is awaiting USAID approval

Consultancy title: Changing the narrative on rhino poaching

Program reference : ZA5570.BP

Purpose : To develop and implement a national-level and Khetha node-level communications campaign in South Africa to re-orientate the narrative on IWT. At a national level, the campaign will focus conversations on the factors that enable wildlife crime syndicates to operate and how these syndicates undermine the rule of law, damages societies and hinder social and economic development. At a Khetha node level, the project will facilitate conversations with communities on issues that affect them, such as criminality, organized crime, trafficking, corruption and other issues important to them that have long-term negative impacts on society and their personal safety and security.

Progress: The consultancy is awaiting USAID approval.